In Love and War
by Donna Z
Summary: In a world where Ginny is a double agent, Harry is a general, and Voldemort is taking over, all is fair.


In Love and War  
  
Prologue  
  
By Donna  
  
Ginny shifted uncomfortably in her black leather armchair. She took a quick look at her watch – she had been sitting here for fully half an hour, waiting for someone to show up, and so far she'd seen no signs of life besides a small rat who peeped out of a hole in the wall, stared at her intently, and then disappeared again.  
  
A barely discernable creaking of the door hinges warned her that she would soon have company. A tall wizard entered the room, moving with purposeful strides to stand in front of her. He was vaguely familiar to her, but she couldn't place his name or from where she had known him. His dark gray-blue eyes stared into hers for an anxious moment, and then a sudden wide grin lit his face.  
  
"I'm terribly sorry to have kept you, miss…"  
  
"Ginny Weasley," Ginny replied, sticking out her left hand for him to shake. He twisted his right wrist a little so that he could clasp her hand firmly. "I'm left-handed, sorry," she told him with a bright smile.  
  
"A southpaw, eh?" he asked. Ginny gave him a vague and polite look, and he laughed embarrassedly, running his hand through his sandy hair. "Sorry 'bout that. My mother's an Irish witch, but my father's an American, and I've picked up a few of his speech habits."  
  
"A half-American Death Eater?" she asked amazedly. But it was a mistake. Once she mentioned his profession, any semblance of friendliness between them vanished and was replaced by an atmosphere so frigid that Ginny shivered.  
  
The man cleared his throat and sat down behind a desk. "Name?" he asked formally, despite the fact that she had already told him.  
  
"Virginia Eleanor Weasley," she answered, sitting down stiffly; no use in letting him call her by her nickname anymore.  
  
"Age?"  
  
"Twenty four."  
  
"Education?"  
  
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Seven years. I was Head Girl."  
  
"Excellent." He jotted some notes down and then leaned forward to stare intently at her. "Virginia, I can't help but notice your last name. Why would a Weasley want to join us? I hope you don't mind my suspicions. Your family is very heavily involved in the Opposition Front, your father is Minister of Magic, and your family is known to be close with the leading spell-writer of our age, Hermione Granger, and the Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter. Why would you want to join the Death Eaters?"  
  
Ginny leaned forward in her chair. "Sir, I may be the youngest child of one of the most eminent families in the OF, but I'm not stupid. I can see exactly where this war is heading; no one needs the divinatory arts to tell them who will win, and it's not my family. I've tried to tell them that this war is hopeless. So, in part, it's self-interest."  
  
"And the other part?"  
  
She shifted in her seat so that she was leaning on the left armrest. "Let's just say that Lord Voldemort and I have an…understanding. You might say that we were…close confidantes in my first year. I have felt more comfortable with him than with any other person in my whole life." This was a bit too close to the truth. She wrapped her robes more tightly around her throat.  
  
"I see." He shuffled through his notes. "Well, that seems to be in order. But I have two last questions for you. How do you think you can contribute to the Order of the Snake?"  
  
Ginny leaned back in her chair, confident that she'd won. "Well, it's quite brilliant, actually," she said with bit of a lazy air. "I can spy on them for you. I don't think playing the double agent would be too challenging. You see, they would trust me with their lives."  
  
"And would you be willing to give us those lives, Virginia?"  
  
Their eyes met, dark brown in a silent duel with dark gray. "Yes, sir, I would be willing."  
  
"You do realize that every Death Eater must have the Dark Mark branded on his or her arm."  
  
"You do realize that that's not even feasible for me? My family would notice if I got a black skull tattooed on my arm, I think. I don't think I can go around wearing long sleeves all the time – my brother Ron is head of the Spying Division of the Opposition, and if anyone with a Dark Mark approaches our home, well, let's say there are enough wards up that you would be able to hear the alarms fully ten kilometers away. You'll have to find some other way of contacting me."  
  
"Perhaps," he said hesitantly. He stood up. "Well, that seems to be it. Report back here in two days, Miss Weasley."  
  
"Of course." Ginny stood up, straightened her robes, and calmly walked toward the door. Right before she reached it, she whirled around, dark red hair flying. "I'm sorry, I have one more question. What's your name?"  
  
A smile touched the corners of his lips. "I'm surprised that you don't remember me, Ginny Weasley. I recognized you the moment I stepped in. I'm Seamus Finnigan." With that, he disappeared. Ginny stood in the doorway for a moment, staring at the place where Seamus had been. She was not sure whether to be more shocked that Seamus, whom she had forgotten since he had dropped out of Hogwarts after the Triwizard Tournament 11 years ago, had joined the Death Eaters, or that he had Disapparated from an abandoned mansion with more wards than cobwebs. She shook her head and decided to take the safe route. Slowly, she walked out of the mansion before Disapparating back to the Burrow.  
  
Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I know it's a bit confusing right now, but you'll get a whole load of information on what everyone's been doing in Chapter 1. Thank you to Aurora and Anne, who betaed this, and to OceanGirl6781, who reviewed A Little Fall of Rain on Gryffindor Tower. Please drop me a review, or better yet, email me at DonnaGZ@aol.com. 


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